PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 26, 2016) – Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams announced that Corrections Officer Yolanda Grier turned herself in today after being charged with Tampering with Public Records [F3], False Reports to Law Enforcement Authorities [M2], Unsworn Falsification to Authorities [M2], Obstructing Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function [M2], Official Oppression [M2] and Harassment [S].

“What Yolanda Grier did, making up an incident and then allowing an innocent inmate to be falsely charged, is outrageous and a complete failure of her duties and the oath she took to serve the Philadelphia Prison System and the citizens of our City,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “I’d like to thank our partners in the Philadelphia Prison System for helping us with this investigation and today’s arrest.”

Grier alleged that she was threatened by a female inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility on October 7, 2014. In her statement to the police, Grier alleged that the inmate responded to her request to turn over the pass she was using to see a visitor with cursing, screaming and threats to shoot Grier. Based on Grier’s statement, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the inmate and arrested and charged her with one count of Terroristic Threats.

In actuality; after the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO), Special Investigations Unit reviewed surveillance video from the incident; Grier’s description of the incident turned out to be false. The video shows that the inmate quickly produced her pass and Grier, after taking it from the inmate, taunted the inmate by pretending to give and take back the pass multiple times. Eventually, Greir escalated her harassment of the inmate by pulling out her mace despite the lack of any threatening behavior by the inmate. In addition to filing charges against Corrections Officer Grier, the criminal case against the inmate has been withdrawn.

Yolanda Grier (date of birth: March 28, 1964) was hired by the Philadelphia Department of Corrections in 1993 and has worked at the Riverside Correctional Facility since 2009. Grier is no longer employed as a Philadelphia Corrections Officer due to her arrest.

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